posted 08-14-2007 05:02 PM
Space News reports that NASA has decided to phase out use of the Delta 2.

NASA intends to conduct its final Delta 2 launch around the end of the decade and then shift more of its launch traffic in that payload class to the Atlas 5 or Delta 4 launch vehicles, the U.S. space agency's chief rocket buyer said in an Aug. 8 interview.

Bill Wrobel, NASA assistant associate administrator for launch services, said the decision to phase out use of the Delta 2 came down to money. Delta 2 launch prices, already on the rise, are expected to jump sharply once the U.S. Air Force abandons use of the reliable workhorse as soon as next year so it can make greater use of the Atlas 5 and Delta 4, which the service helped develop under the Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle (EELV) program.

"The Air Force is basically going full steam ahead with EELVs," Wrobel said. "And since they are a user of [the EELV rockets] we thought maybe we should become more of a user of it too."

cspgMember

Posts: 4046From: Geneva, SwitzerlandRegistered: May 2006

posted 05-17-2011 11:30 PM
Space News reports that NASA is moving to add the Delta 2 back to its list of available launchers.

NASA and Denver-based United Launch Alliance (ULA) are negotiating to add the Delta 2 medium-class rocket to the agency's list of available launch vehicles capable of lofting small- to intermediate-sized science payloads to orbit.

"ULA has indicated to NASA it is interested in on-ramping the Delta 2," NASA spokeswoman Stephanie Schierholz said in a May 12 email response to questions.

Schierholz said the agency could add the Delta 2 this summer to NASA's recently negotiated launch services contract, a roster that includes eight U.S.-made launch vehicles capable of delivering between 175 and 14,280 kilograms to orbit. However, "NASA may accelerate the start of the on-ramp period to better distribute launch services program resources during the summer/fall timeframe," Schierholz said...

NASA's plan to phase out Delta 2 stemmed from a decision by the U.S. Air Force to end its use of the rocket in 2009, leaving NASA to foot the bill for maintaining the launch vehicle's infrastructure.

Robert PearlmanEditor

Posts: 27328From: Houston, TXRegistered: Nov 1999

posted 09-30-2011 04:50 PM
NASA release

NASA Modifies Launch Service Contract To Add Delta II Rocket

NASA announced the modification of its NASA Launch Services (NLS) II contract with United Launch Services of Littleton, Colo., to add the Delta II rocket launch service in accordance with the contract's on-ramp provision. The modification will enable United Launch Services to offer as many as five Delta II rockets.

The NLS II contracts are multiple award, indefinite-delivery, indefinite-quantity contracts with ordering periods through June 2020. The NLS II on-ramp provision provides an opportunity annually for new launch service providers to compete for future missions and allows existing launch service providers to introduce launch vehicles not currently on their NLS II contracts.

The NLS II contracts provide for a minimum capability of delivering agency payloads weighing approximately 550 pounds or more to a minimum 124-mile-high circular orbit with a launch inclination of 28.5 degrees. The launch service providers also may offer a range of vehicles to NASA to meet higher payload mass and orbit requirements.

The NLS II contracts support the goals and objectives of the agency's Human Exploration and Operations and Science Mission Directorates. Under the contract, NASA also can provide launch services to other government agencies, such as the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

The Launch Services Program Office at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida is responsible for program management.

Robert PearlmanEditor

Posts: 27328From: Houston, TXRegistered: Nov 1999

posted 09-30-2011 04:53 PM
United Launch Alliance (ULA) release

NASA Puts ­­United Launch Alliance’s Delta II on Contract

NASA announced the addition of United Launch Alliance's (ULA) Delta II rocket to the NASA Launch Services (NLS) II contract.

"We are extremely pleased NASA has added the reliable Delta II to the NLS II contract and look forward to continuing the legacy of the program," said Michael Gass, ULA's president and CEO. "ULA has demonstrated its ability to fully integrate Atlas V, Delta IV and Delta II product lines allowing us to continue offering medium launch capability at the best value for our customers."

The Delta II Program has a rich heritage and has been launched 150 times with a success rate of 98.7 percent.

"While we count success one mission at a time, we have been able to count on the Delta II's success 96 times in a row over the last decade," stated Gass "This is a tribute to our dedicated ULA employees, our supplier teammates and our NASA Launch Services Program customer who ensure mission success is the focus of each and every launch."

ULA's Delta II has launched the majority of NASA's critical science missions over the last decade including the Mars rovers Spirit and Opportunity, Genesis, Phoenix Mars Lander, Stardust and most recently the twin GRAIL spacecraft from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida on Sept. 10.

ULA program management, engineering, test and mission support functions are headquartered in Denver, Colo. Manufacturing, assembly and integration operations are located at Decatur, Ala., and Harlingen, Texas. Launch operations are located at Cape Canaveral AFS, Fla., and Vandenberg AFB, Calif.

hlbjrMember

Posts: 321From: Delray Beach Florida USARegistered: Mar 2006

posted 10-01-2011 08:25 AM
So is there a possibility of a future launch from Complex 17 at the Cape or are those launches absolutely done forever?

Jim BehlingMember

Posts: 537From: Cape Canaveral, FLRegistered: Mar 2010

posted 10-01-2011 10:03 AM
Only Vandenberg Air Force Base.

Robert PearlmanEditor

Posts: 27328From: Houston, TXRegistered: Nov 1999

posted 07-17-2012 09:44 PM
NASA release

NASA selects launch services contract for three missions

NASA has selected United Launch Services LLC of Englewood, Colo., to launch the Soil Moisture Active Passive (SMAP), Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) and Joint Polar Satellite System-1 (JPSS-1) spacecraft. The spacecraft will launch in October 2014, July 2014 and November 2016, respectively, aboard Delta II rockets from Complex 2 at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California.

The total value for the SMAP, OCO-2 and JPSS-1 launch services is approximately $412 million. This estimated cost includes the task-ordered launch service for the Delta II plus additional services under other contracts for payload processing, launch vehicle integration, mission-unique launch site ground support and tracking, data and telemetry services.

SMAP will provide global measurements of soil moisture and its freeze-thaw state. These measurements will enhance understanding of processes that link Earth's water, energy and carbon cycles. SMAP will extend current capabilities in weather and climate prediction. SMAP data will be used to develop improved flood prediction and drought monitoring capabilities. SMAP is managed by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in Pasadena, Calif.

OCO-2 will study and make time-dependent global measurements of atmospheric carbon dioxide. It will provide the first complete picture of human and natural carbon dioxide sources and "sinks," the places where the gas is pulled out of the atmosphere and stored. The observatory's high-resolution measurements will help scientists better understand the processes that regulate atmospheric carbon dioxide. The OCO-2 project is managed by JPL.

JPSS-1 is the successor to the Suomi-National Polar Partnership (NPP) spacecraft, which was launched in October 2011 as a joint mission between NASA, the Department of Defense and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and operated by the JPSS Program. The JPSS Program is the former National Polar-orbiting Operational Environmental Satellite System Program. The JPSS system includes the satellite's sensors and ground system supporting civil weather, climate measurements and data sharing with other U.S. agencies and international partners.

JPSS-1 will make afternoon observations as it orbits Earth, providing continuity of critical data and imagery observations for accurate weather forecasting, reliable severe storm outlooks and global measurements of atmospheric and oceanic conditions such as sea surface temperatures and ozone. JPSS-1 will increase the timeliness, accuracy and cost-effectiveness of public warnings and forecasts of weather, climate and other environmental events, reducing the potential loss of human life and property.

NOAA is responsible for the JPSS Program and the JPSS-1 mission. NASA is the program's procurement agent. The agency's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md., is the lead for acquisition.

NASA's Launch Services Program at Kennedy Space Center is responsible for launch vehicle program management of the SMAP, OCO-2 and JPSS-1 launch services.